Looking outside

As a recent Oklahoma Christian graduate, I have exited the infamous “OC Bubble” and supposedly am now in the “real world,” where I face harsh persecution and temptations on a daily basis. Well … this isn’t exactly the case.

The OC Bubble is familiar to many students, who comment on the small class sizes, the on-campus housing, and the inherently Christian atmosphere.

The complaint often heard is if students are trapped inside this bubble for their entire college career, how are they supposed to interact with the world outside the university? Won’t they be shocked by how other people live? Will they be able to cope with the careers they take in their respective fields if they’re not surrounded by other Christians?

Although I left the college bubble at Oklahoma Christian, I have now joined a post-college/young professionals bubble at a church in Tulsa. I love being able to hang out with this close-knit group of people – we usually have something going on almost every day of the week. While there is nothing wrong with hanging out with close friends frequently, it can become a problem if we don’t allow time to reach out to the lost.

Bubbles are fun! They allow close relationships to develop; they provide security; they even stimulate encouragement and growth between those inside the bubble. However, if we remain inside the bubble too long without reaching out to others, we lose track of an important part of our mission on earth — evangelism.

Of course, it is essential to have a group of close Christian friends and to be a part of a church family that meets on a regular basis. But we need to be looking for people that we can bring into Christ. Without Christ, we would be prideful, lustful, greedy and (of course) condemned; with Christ, we are not only free from the entrapment of sin, but we are also able to share a personal relationship with God and are promised eternity with him if we follow him.

This is something to be perpetually joyful about. And if we are so excited about this good news, why would we ever want to contain it in a bubble and keep it between just ourselves – with our friends and our church family? Like Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:14, Christ’s love should compel us to spread the news. In order to be lights unto the world, we cannot stay in a bubble.

One problem for us is that there are many bubbles that we can get into after we leave the OC bubble – and they can be a church-related, work-related or even hobby-related bubble.

While I highly recommend joining a church-related bubble, I also recommend popping it regularly. Connect with a group of Christians all striving to live for Christ, but make sure that you continue to reach outside to bring others into Christ. So, pop the bubbles! Break down the barriers that push away the lost! As Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”

Pop the bubbles! Bring the spiritually sick into Christ to live with us in heaven! Thankfully, the post-college/young professionals “bubble” that I am in is constantly being popped from the inside and out. These people are passionate about growing the Kingdom of God – just last week, two people were baptized largely because some people in our group took the time to study with them and show them Christ. I am blessed to be part of a group of people that can grow and mature together in Christ, while popping the bubble-barrier to spread the good news and change others’ lives.